Akiba and Dragons Prologue Part 1 (Abridged)

Zhurong: Bye, Mr. Boogeyman!
One day on summer vacation...
Babe Bunyan: Howdy! How ya doin'?
Zhurong: Hi Babe, thanks for coming to meet me!
Babe: Where we goin' today? I picked baseball for us yesterday so it's your turn today!
Zhurong: Wanna go to the beach?
Babe: That sounds great!
Zhurong: They're doing some sort of event there! With lots of sand sculptures! I wanna take some pictures for my school newspaper.
Babe: Wait don't we need an adult to go with us? That's what my class told me. Dammit being a kid sucks.
Zhurong: It's okay! It's at a beach you can't drown in.
Babe: what
Zhurong: Have you heard of Akihabara before?
Babe: Umm... oh, that one place with the school full of games and manga!

Tokyo has tons of schools, so the students often talk about which school is the best. Each school is its own little world or sealed garden with students learning of the world and society. They want to know which one is the most fun to attend, and they hope to go to the one they're interested in most. There is one school out there that stands out, and it's in Akihabara! The school of new creators, the school focused on creative productions. Other students gossip about how Akihabara Academy focuses more on creative works than tests, especially during test season. But what does it look like from within?
Akihabara
Kuniyoshi: I have three new books to make for cons and a new work to present for midterm tests!
Catoblepas: I have a report to do for midterms and three costumes to make for events!
Hecate: The ideas keep coming to me! I'm making a multiple personality installed robo couple book for my midterm!
Creators: WE NEED MORE TIIIIME!
This is a shared space and hangout for Akihabara students. They've got digital art equipment, high class sewing machines, and 3D printers and lots of yelling people trying to get their work done.

Benten: You guys look like you're having fun. And now I notice half the people here are doing private projects not related to school. Also, is it true that you can just present something you like for school and that's the end of it?
Kuniyoshi: NO
Benten: Yeah I just wanted to say that. Nakano's like that too!
Kuniyoshi: GASP
Catoblepas: But it's true lots of people think that. It'd be great if I can make all the costumes I like.
Hecate: This time of year is even WORSE for us than other school students. We have midterms and then contest themes to do and then ghodsgk;jj
Catoblepas: HECATE'S GOING CRAZY AGAIN
Kuniyoshi: And then there's all these huge events to go to! WAIT FOR ME, NEW FURRY BOOKS!

Later
Benten: Tiiired. How about a break you guys?
Kuniyoshi: YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING
Benten: Hey I was watching over you. Wasn't that nice?
Kuniyoshi: NO????
Akiha Gongen: Hi guys. Oh hi Benten.
Benten: Oh hey Akiha Gongen. How's it hanging?
Akiha: It's good.
Catoblepas: Huh? Are you two friends?
Akiha: Well we're pretty similar. We come over even though we aren't otaku and we want to be better friends and--
Benten: HEY! I'm here being nice, thank you!
Akiha: O-oh. But yeah I'm good, just need to finish my midterm product.
Kuniyoshi: NOOO don't bring me back to reality with midterms!
Catoblepas and Hekate: Yep.

Akiha Gongen: You guys aren't done? Is the theme suffering...?
Catoblepas: Eheh...we keep focusing on the projects we like. I've made two costumes but haven't finished my midterm one... I keep thinking about doing it and then... I start thinking about events...
Hecate and Kuniyoshi: Yep.
Akiha: But the school said no late work for midterms!
Akiha is part of the traditional crafts department, which is a bit different from the manga, illustration, writing, and game departments.
Creators: But we work fastest before the deadline!
Akiha: Okay fine I'll help you guys.
Benten: You guys keep yelling about term tests, but what is that?

Hecate: Short version, we have to regularly present works, and while we said midterms it's really the end of term test period.
Benten: So why all the yelling and crying? You guys are great at your things so it should be eas--
Kuniyoshi: Eh, we can't really say that about our stuff. And if our specialties were good enough we could just throw out our new book.
Benten: I HAVE OPINIONS ON THAT
Catoblepas: Well we also have a summer event coming up, something like a school cultural festival or a contest...
Benten: Ohh! That sounds like fun! I'll play for you guys!
Kuniyoshi: Well people who aren't part of our school would be excited by it. It sucks for us!
Benten: Why?
Akiha: This event is a little special. Every student has to make something according to a theme.
Benten: And what's the theme?
Creators: Beach sand art!

Benten: Ohhh... and you guys are indoor nerds who don't know what to do with that.
Akiha Gongen: What's so hard about that theme? You can go to the beach anytime.
Benten: Sure, for a tanned jock like you. They have like zero reason to go.
Creators: SUMMER IS OTAKU EVENT TIME
Akiha: !?
Kuniyoshi: I've got more furry doujins to get. Who cares about the beach!?
Catoblepas: Honestly I stay in the city during the summer. I do go to a lot of in-game events though...
Hecate: The situation sounds great though. Seasonal sense of freedom and changing dynamics and ehehehehe
Creators: WE'VE NEVER BEEN TO A REAL BEACH!
Akiha: OKAY OKAY STOP GROUP YELLING AT MEEE

Hecate: Honestly the theme being summers and beaches means it's actually pretty broad. It's so easy that it's hard to come up with something original... And we have to be careful we don't overlap ideas with other people...
Akiha Gongen: Well you can't help it if there's a little overlap. Everyone in school is in it, so you shouldn't overthink it and--
Hecate and Kuniyoshi: NO OVERLAPPING
Akiha: !?!?
Benten: I know that feel so hard it hurts! Being a creator can be such a pain!
Kuniyoshi: I got an idea! Maybe I can make a manga in the sand! But then the waves might erase it so I'll have to draw it every day!
Benten: omg
Hecate: Hey wait a minute. Akihabara is landlocked, isn't it? Where are we supposed to show our work for the event?
Kuniyoshi: We won't have to put it in front of a beach backdrop, will we? There's going to be tons of visitors, that'd be rough!
Catoblepas: I-I really hope there's sandy beaches at least since there's a limit to how much the layers can be shown!

Akiha Gongen: Okay okay, time to stop you guys. We're all just talking and not doing any work. Time for a break! I brought refreshments.
Hecate: Ooh, oral rehydration solution? It's so cold! I'm feeling thirsty now that I think about it.
Akiha starts putting bottles on top of the table.
Akiha: This time of year people sometimes get heat stroke before they realize it. This is a free sample from my youth firefighter group.
Benten: Aww, you're sweet!
Creators: Thanks!
Kuniyoshi: Yes, cold drinks are best in summer!
Akiha: Catoblepas, could you pass these around to everyone? Sorry, everyone gets put out if I give it.
Catoblepas: Oh...eheh... well everyone's happy, so I'll do it. Let's go together.
Akiha: Don't worry, everyone's waiting for some hydration. Thanks for thinking about me.
Catoblepas: ...okay, I'll hand it out then.
Reactions vary as drinks are passed around, and Akiha smiles at it all.
Catoblepas: (...huh. Normally Akiha would be running around handing these out himself.)

Later
Benten: omg look at the time I gotta go see the band!
Catoblepas: Oh, Benten? Um, please send my regards to Makara.
Benten: Huh? Oh! Okay, sure. Next time I'll bring you with me!
Akiha Gongen: Be careful since it's still hot out there!
Kuniyoshi: GET OUT
Benten: Bye guys!
And so Benten leaves. The place is still noisy as everyone starts focusing on their work.
Kuniyoshi: Okay back to work! Gotta get on my fourth book with my love of furries!
Akiha: Don't forget about your term project! They'll hold you back a year!
Catoblepas: I was thinking about the summer beach thing, and do you think they're doing it at that one school?
Kuniyoshi: Maybe? It is possible if it's there though...
Hecate: The events are open to the public, so going there might not be in the cards.
Catoblepas: Right...I could've done a lot of different costumes with the beach theme there...
Akiha: What? Are you guys talking about the branch school Arachne goes to? No? Where then? Akihabara's totally unrelated to the beach.

Catoblepas: Well that's not true. Actually, Akihabara Academy--
Hecate: DID YOU TWO JUST SAY IT HAS NO CONNECTION AT ALL!?
Hecate: "Ooh, we have nothing to do with each other, Akihabara." "That's not true, Beach!" There's tons of things you can do with Akihabara on the beach or the beach on Akihabara!
Akiha Gongen: O-okay? I don't get it, but wow!
Hecate: Seeing the relationships between two characters in the same scene or panel is my specialty! Mmm, the creative juices are flowing! Ohh! OHH! OHH~!
Akiha stares respectfully.
Hekate: That's how we'll connect to the sand art theme! Mixing business and pleasure is what a creator does! Pictures in the sand are delicate and fleeting, so we need something solid! Any sculptors or modelers conveniently here!?
Creators: Pfffft
???: Do I hear the call of mine interests? Vapuleave it to me!
Creators: WAIT WHAT!?
End of Episode Half